Forgotten Friendship
by Teris Xenite
Summary: Once upon a time they were the best of friends, until lies and hurt feelings tore them apart. Can they rebuild the trust they once had? Or is the friendship just a memory? A Lucas and Sami fiction.
1. Default Chapter

Forgotten Friendship  
  
Chapter One  
  
by  
  
Teris Xenite  


The room was dark, illuminated only by moonlight, and filled with the one sight he'd never thought to see again. Sami Brady, in his bed none the less. Granted it had been hell getting her there, but the rewards were going to be worth it. In her he had found an equal, someone to hold in his arms at night and hold back from their enemies throats in the light of day. She was lying on her stomach, with one arm supporting her head, and her hair flowing down over her back and shoulders, hiding half of her face from his view. Looking around the room it was obvious that she'd fallen asleep waiting for him. 

He sat in the padded chair that sat by the bed and watched her sleep. She looked so young, so innocent now, as she slept. None of the harshness that intruded upon her in day to day life seemed to touch her in her dreams. Odd to think now that it was ultimately a dream that brought her too him in the first place. Shaking his head at the time they'd wasted, he slid off his shoes and his suit and slid into bed beside her. She rolled over and clung to him in her sleep, nuzzling his neck and kissing him on the cheek. 

He took the opportunity to press a kiss in her hair. The sweet scent of her surrounded him as he drifted off to sleep comforted by her warmth. He was hard pressed to believe that this was real most of the time, that he had finally been given the one thing that he wanted. As he drifted off into dreams he pulled Sami a little tighter against him, as always a little frightened that she wouldn't be there when he woke up.

*************************************************

Lucas turned the corner and paused as he heard Will's voice. He'd stopped by Nicole's room before he headed out to see Jennifer and was preparing to get on the elevator when he had heard Will. What's going on? "See what Lucas bought me?" _Ok so he's showing her his plane. That's good. _

" Lucas?" Lucas heard the question in her voice, and the suprise. He had to admit that he understood, one of the sweetest sounds in the world was hearing your child call you 'daddy' or 'dad', but he had wanted Will to call him those names because he wanted to, not because he had to. It meant far more that way.

"I call him that sometimes, just like I called you Sami before."

"Well, I don't like it, Will." 

"Fine. Then I won't do it. It's really cool, huh?" _ What? Just like that? You don't like it so I won't do it? _ He hadn't given in on anything that he'd asked him to do when he was in Africa, thus being the reason he'd had no bed time. 

"Oh, yeah, it is so cool. I bet you could take it to school tomorrow and show all your friends."

"I am not going to school." _Yeah that's more like the kid I was dealing with all summer. That's ok, let Sami be the bad guy for once. _

"Yes, Will, tomorrow's the first day of school. You have to go." 

"Lucas will explain to them." 

"Well, this isn't your father's decision, okay? Everyone your age has to go to school."

"No way!" Lucas flinched hearing a crash and realizing that it was most likely the model plane he and Will had spent hours gluing together, after he'd spent three days looking for one in Africa. "I'm not going, and you can't make me!

"William, stop it."

"Dad said you can't boss me around anymore. I'm not going to school tomorrow, either!" 

Lucas winced again. _ So much for having a chance in hell at having Sami respect me as a parent. _ He didn't know why her approval on that mattered so much more than anywhere else in his life, but for some odd reason it did. Then he heard whispers of the nurses walking past. 

"What a brat…"

"Yes and it's a shame too, he was such a well behaved little boy before he left. Lets hope it's just a phase."

"A phase? With those two for parents? You've got to be kidding me."

He hadn't realized that he'd let Will slip so far until someone commented on it. _It's a necessary evil. _ He reminded himself as he watched Brandon send Will off with a nurse to get ice cream. _Jeeze Sami, our sons been home for less than an hour and you're already sending him away. But wait. She's crying. I made her cry…and not crying for sympathy. Those are real tears. _ "Oh I'm screwed." There had always been an attraction for him when Sami was genuinely upset. It was like an undeniable urge to comfort her. She was pushing Brandon away. _ Does that mean she doesn't want him anymore? _

He saw her eyes widen, and fill with panic as Victor walk up behind Brandon. _So that's part of what Victor wants from you, besides joint custody for me. Nicole wanted you away from Brandon. Hmmm…This I can work with. _Lucas turned to the elevators to continue his errand. _I think I'll let her stew for a bit. Soon, Sami. Soon I'll have you right where I want you. _

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	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. The actors certianly are not mine. The storyline and events there in are mine, however if you are in anyway involved with DOOL and want to borrow...Feel free to at no charge.

Forgotten Friendship  
  
Chapter Two  
  
by  
  
Teris Xenite  


Lucas watched Brandon's lips meld against Sami's in a heated kiss, during their rooftop rendezvous, and he fought against the rising jealousy. _ Keep your cool. It doesn't matter. Soon enough Sami will be yours, she'll be back where she belongs. By your side happily cooking up schemes, not with St. Austin the Stupid, not with Boxer Brandon the Buff, not with Franco the fake. _He waited in the hallway and soon she came back inside, she turned the corner in a daze and walked right into him. _Too busy thinking about her stolen kisses to watch where she was going no doubt. _

"You should watch where you're going Sami, if you're not careful you'll get hurt." The double meaning was lost on her for the moment, but she'd understand it soon enough. "What are you doing up here anyway?"

"I just needed some air."

"Sure you did Sami…and Brandon just happened to be there and in desperate need of practicing his mouth to mouth."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sami, Sami, Sami. You should know better than to lie to me by now. I know you to well too believe that you're innocent." He tisked. "Won't Victor be upset to find out that you're disobeying his orders."

"What are you talk about? I've been following Victor's orders."

"Really, what about the one to stay away from Brandon."

"I have been staying away from--"

"Don't try to kid a kidder, Sami. I know you better than that. I know you were with Brandon. I saw you kissing him, and considering your words means less than the air it takes to speak them to Victor right now, you're in a precarious position. All it takes is one word from me, and your world comes crashing down." He watched her gasp and look around in panic. He hadn't seen this particular look often, it wasn't often that anyone had her completely cornered, and to be honest he wasn't entirely sure he liked it. "Don't worry Sami, I'm sure that you can convince me not to tell him."

"What do you want from me?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow, when I take you to lunch. In the meantime I suggest you consider which is more important to you, your relationship with Brandon or your love for Will. Because you can't have both."

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When he picked her up the next day for their 'date', she looked much like the Sami of old, dressed tastefully with a touch of naive innocence. It reminded him of when they'd first became friends, before she'd started to dress seductively and chase around after men who either didn't want her, wanted her for the wrong reasons, or just weren't good for her. _ Really and which of those categories do you fall into Lucas, you haven't exactly been good to her as of late either. _ He wasn't sure if the change of wardrobe was planned to invoke memories of good times to make him more lenient with her, or if it were just habit because she didn't see him as potential quarry. 

He had done something that suprised her, and that set her off balance from the very start. He sent her a bouquet consisting of a pink rose, irises, white heather, snap dragons, and purple hyacinth, as well as a book on the language of flowers. The card said merely 'Interpret these correctly, and you'll know my intentions.' The flowers had been meant to reassure her, although knowing her she was probably going to ignore the offer of protection expressed by the heather, the apology carried in the hyacinth, the complement of the irises, and sincerity of the pink rose. 

No she was probably going to ignore them all and focus on the one tiny minuscule sub-meaning of the snap dragon. But what was he supposed to do, rewrite the language of flowers? It wasn't his fault that the same flower that meant glorious lady also meant deception. Although that description did fit Sami well. Besides the reaction she had to the flowers would let him gauge the effectiveness of his current strategy. He had his answer as she opened the door, dressed like an angel but illusion was shattered by flames of hell burning in her eyes. 

She shoved the flowers at his chest and demanded. "What in the hell are these, and what do you think you're gonna prove to me?"

"They're called flowers Sami, I'm sure you've heard of them. You know the fragrant part of plants, most bloom in the spring."

"That still doesn't explain why you sent them."

"Because Sami, olive branches are out of season, and it is customary to bring a gift when you pick up a lady up for a first date."

"Well this isn't a date, and as you've pointed out quite frequently I'm not a lady."

"Let me guess, you looked up the snap dragon first?"

"What the hell does it matter what I looked up first?"

"Reread the other meanings for that one," He said pointing to the snap dragon. "And the others and, then see if you still want to throw them at me."

He watched as she looked up the other meanings and saw a quickly disguised look of confusion, and dare he believe it, hope on her face. It was barely there for a second, but it was long enough for him to see it, and he latched onto that hope. "Sweet as the words are, give me a reason why I should believe them coming from you?"

"What reason would I have to lie?"

"Since when have you needed a reason?"

"Is it that hard to believe that I miss you? That I want to make things right?"

"Considering that you're currently blackmailing me…yes."

"Have you given me any other choice?" His remark was met by silence, so he continued. "You may find this hard to believe, but I'm not here to gloat, or make your life hell. You have plenty of people doing that as is. I apologized, you didn't believe me. I tried to get along, it didn't work. If it were anyone else I'd have given up by now, but the bottom line is Will needs us both. He's been hurt enough by our arguments, and if I have to blackmail you to get the time with you it takes to work things out so be it."

He pulled some papers out of his pocket. "These are papers granting me joint custody. You're going to sign them, and then we're going to go out and figure what the hell we have to do to dig ourselves out of this hole we're in."

"Lucas…"

"No Sami, we've done things your way for far to long. From now on, we're going to be civil towards each other at the very least. For Will's sake if not our own." Sami looked at him shocked. This definitely was not the same man that Kate had led by the chin, and it sure as hell wasn't the same man that she'd walked all over and railroaded into agreeing with some of her more zany schemes. He'd made up his mind and he was determined, and as wonderful as that was considering that it probably meant that Kate had lost an ally, it was also damn annoying when it was turned against her.

_Well let him think he's won for now, it'll only be a matter of time before I find some more dirt on Victor or Nicole, then I'll be free to do what ever I want. Enjoy the victory while you can Lucas, because it will be short. _

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New chapters of this and other LUMI loving fics will follow soon. You can reach me at any time at: terisxenite@hotmail.com. Also if you're a Lumi fan, check out Second Chances. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. The actors certianly are not mine. The storyline and events there in are mine, however if you are in anyway involved with DOOL and want to borrow...Feel free to at no charge.

Forgotten Friendship  
  
Chapter Three  
  
by  
  
Teris Xenite  


**********************************

He could pinpoint the exact moment that she'd decided to let him win. He knew she was already plotting how she'd pay him back for this, and considering it to be a temporary surrender. His eyes traced the lines of tension in her neck and shoulders. He'd meant it when he told her that she looked like she'd spent the summer in hell, not that she wasn't still beautiful, but something was missing. Few others would have noticed, but he knew her every movement, expression, and gesture. Whatever the cause, be it her schemes falling down all around her or the separation from Will, a large part of the fire that made her so very special was dimmed. 

He longed to reach out to her to offer comfort, but he knew that it was too soon. She didn't trust him yet, and trying to force tenderness on her now would be the last way to regain her friendship. She signed the papers with a sigh and shoved them at him. "Here, you have what you wanted. Now get out of my house." 

As much as she tried to fight it a twinge of weariness snuck into her voice, and she cursed herself mentally. _ Damn it, you just had to be weak and give him more ammunition didn't you. Great. _ She was starting to slip and just when she thought she had everything back in control and that she was on her way back up to the top something would come out of the woodworks to trip her up. She was being pulled in too many directions at once, she had no allies, she couldn't be with the man she wanted, and worst of all her son had been turned against her. 

Lucas pocketed the signed papers and wavered for a minute indecisive at his next course of action. He couldn't just leave, that would do nothing to advance his other plans. But he couldn't force her to want his company either. Looking once again at her tense form he decided to take a chance, after all the worst she could do would be to push him away. He didn't have far down to go in her estimation of him. _It's worth a shot. _ He took her firmly by the shoulders and led her to a chair pushing her down into it despite her protests. 

His kneaded the tense muscles under his fingertips until she stopped resisting and the knots gave way. Then he moved up from her shoulders up to her neck, and then up to her temples. Despite her resistance she began to make little sounds of contentment and smaller whimpers of pain and protest as he attacked the most tender of the spots. Soon she went limp and let her head roll back against him as he continued caressing her, now more for the pleasure of feeling her warm smooth skin under his fingertips than an effort to rid her of pain. 

Her eyes had closed, and for the moment she had forgotten who he was and what had passed between them. _It's a sad thing when pleasure can be described as the absence of pain, guess that makes mine a sad life. _ She didn't want to accept his touch, but it had been so long since someone had tried to comfort her. _ Well that's not exactly fair, Brandon tries but it's a little hard to believe it when I know that all it will take is one lie from Nicole and he'll drop me faster that Lucas and I can get into an argument. _

He was enjoying the rare moment of peace between them and was suprised when he looked down and met her eyes looking up at him. "Why are you doing this?" 

"Because you were so tense that you were giving me a headache."

"That's not what I meant." She said pulling away from him. "You've gotten what you wanted…so why are you being so…nice?"

"Who said that I'd gotten everything I wanted?" 

"Well what else would you want?" 

"You'll find out when we get there." He said pulling a light jacket from the closet and handing it to her.

"Who said I was going anywhere with you?" He crossed his arms and smirked, waiting for her to realize that she had indeed agreed to go with him, and that her hands were tied so to speak. Of course she did and said with an exasperated sigh. "Alright…Lets get what ever it is over with."

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New chapters of this and other LUMI loving fics will follow soon. You can reach me at any time at: terisxenite@hotmail.com. Also if you're a Lumi fan, check out Second Chances. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. The actors certianly are not mine. The storyline and events there in are mine, however if you are in anyway involved with DOOL and want to borrow...Feel free to at no charge.

Forgotten Friendship  
  
Chapter Four  
  
by  
  
Teris Xenite  


**********************************

Lucas opened the door for her, and she stepped into his car rolling her eyes at the gallant gesture. His car was pristine as always, but in the rear view mirror she could see a few action figures Will had left behind. The small reminder of her son reassured her, and made her feel stronger. Her thoughts were interrupted by Lucas. "Sami, stop sulking." Silence thick and hostile greeted his remark. _ Desperate measures are necessary I take it. _ "Come on Sami, if you're not careful your face will stick like that."

"Nice try, but I stopped believing that one in second grade."

_Well you said she had to come with you, not that she had to like it. You didn't expect this to be easy did you? _ "But it's true, keep scowling like that and you'll end up walking around looking like this." He twisted his face into a contortionists dream. Sami did her best not to laugh at the ridiculous picture he presented, but as he kept twisting and turning his features she couldn't help the tiny smile that crossed her face. "Much better, the way you were frowning I was expecting to be pulled over for kidnapping."

"You still may be."

"What?"

"Half of the police department is related to me, and they know we hate each other. Although they'd probably end up blaming me for driving you to it."

"We don't hate each other Sami."

"Speak for yourself."

"If you hated me you would have let me die, but you didn't. You saved me, and I saved you."

"Really how do you figure that?"

"Do you really think I would have stopped that execution if I hated you?"

"You wanted to ease your guilty conscious."

"I could have gone to confession for that."

"You're practically an atheist." He looked at her skeptically. "Ok, so you don't hate me, that doesn't mean that I don't hate you."

"You wouldn't have brought Will to see me."

"Your family railroaded me into that."

"Since when can anyone make you do anything you don't want to?"

"So, I didn't want to see Will's heart broken if told him no. That still doesn't mean that I don't hate you."

"You know, the longer you insist on swearing you hate me, the more fun I'm going to have getting you to admit that you don't."

"It'll be a cold day in hell before I admit to anything but hate for you Lucas."

"Then you might as well make plans to go ice skating soon little girl."

"Don't count on it General." She quipped, without even realizing that she'd slipped and called him by his old nickname. 

"Lie to yourself all you want to Sami. You don't hate me. You're angry that I've hurt you, and seething because at the moment I have the upper hand. You're scared that I'm going to take Will away from you, or turn him against you, but you don't hate me."

"I am not scared!"

"Then what is making you so persistent about saying you hate me, and not wanting to work things out?"

"Lets see could it be that I don't want my child raised by an alcoholic father, and his bimbo of the week?"

"Coming from a woman who loses the 'love of her life' and runs, not walks, immediately into the arms of another man that really means a lot."

"Well at least I had someone I didn't have to buy to love me."

"Austin never loved you Sami. He loved the way you clung to him, he loved the idea of being looked at as a savior and a hero, and he loved the idea of making you into Carrie. Only this time, because you were so in 'love' with him, you would never leave him like she did."

"He loved me! He loved me, not Carrie!"

"Sami, did he ever once acknowledge that you were brilliant? Hmm? Did he ever admire the way you schemed and plotted to get him and didn't let go till you got what you wanted? Did he ever admire the way you could play a crowd with a few false tears and accusations? Or did he always say you needed to be ashamed of that. That you needed to change? To be better?"

"You know the answer to that."

"Yes I do, and it means that he didn't deserve you."

"Funny that the only person who ever appreciated any of those things ended up hating me in the end and trying to kill me. So if that's your criteria for someone who deserves me, you're dead wrong."

"Relax Sami, I would never presume to think that I deserve you." He brought the car to a smooth stop, despite his raging emotions. "We're here." _I don't think I deserve you Sami, I know I do. _

She looked out at the scenery in front of her. They were beside a clear still lake, with a grove of shade trees atop a hill overlooking it. The scenery was beautiful, but she wondered why he brought her out into the middle of no where. "Why are we here?"

"Because we're far away enough from civilization that it'd be very, very difficult for you to walk back on your own, we won't be interrupted, and no one will hear your screaming and call the police."

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New chapters of this and other LUMI loving fics will follow soon. You can reach me at any time at: terisxenite@hotmail.com. Also if you're a Lumi fan, check out Second Chances. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. The actors certianly are not mine. The storyline and events there in are mine, however if you are in anyway involved with DOOL and want to borrow...Feel free to at no charge.

Forgotten Friendship  
  
Chapter Four  
  
by  
  
Teris Xenite  


**********************************

_He was talking about not hating me, and saying that he didn't want me dead. So he didn't bring me here to kill me, and he didn't bring me here to trade me to the DiMeria' or Victor, because if he had someone would be there by now. Unless. There had been one person who constantly tried to get her alone where no one could hear her. No, no he wouldn't do that. Many things yes, but never that. _

He noticed her go pale at the last words and realized that he'd made a mistake. "I didn't bring you here to hurt you Sami. I swear I didn't." 

"Forgive me if I'm a little skeptical of that." She said caustically. He got out of the car, not responding to the venom she threw at him, and opened her door. She pushed aside his offered hand and got out of the car, there was no way that she was having an argument with him looking down on her. At least standing and out of the confined space of the car she felt like she was on slightly more equal footing. 

"Well since you've trusted me this far, you might as well see what I had planned hadn't you? You know it'll drive you nuts trying to figure it out." 

"Keep in mind that if anything happens to me you're going to be the prime suspect."

"Sami, you are probably going to greatly enjoy what I have planned."

"Considering what's happened the other times people wanted me where no one could hear me scream, putting yourself in with them isn't really a great way to inspire me to have the warm fuzzies for you. Although the last time someone succeeded I ended up shooting him. So you're right I probably will enjoy this."

"Even though I'm sure you think that you'd enjoy that, I'd planned something that didn't involve grievous bodily harm for either of us. I already told you that I don't hate you, and I already have what I want, so I have no reason to kill you. But that's not what you're really worried about, is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I didn't bring you up here to have my wicked way with you, Sami. You can stop worrying. I prefer my bed mates a lot less hostile, and a lot more willing." She rolled her eyes, and stalked off towards a destination that even she didn't know, all she knew was that she had to get away from him and that infuriating smirk of his. He grabbed her elbow and she spun angrily to face him. 

"Let go of me!"

"But you know now that I think about it, I doubt it would take much to warm you back up to me." As he said this he began backing them towards a tree, and she was so focused on her indignation that she didn't notice that he had her cornered. 

"What! You know I thought that you were loosing your mind, now I have proof! Nothing, nothing could make me want you again."

"One kiss, Sami. That's all it would take." He saw the look of disbelief on her face and smirked, just to infuriate her further.

"You are the most arrogant, cocky, son of a ---"

"Me thinks the lady protests too much. Why don't we prove it then? After all if nothing could make you want me, you don't have anything to be afraid of now do you?"

"No way in hell."

"Scared Sami?" She glared at him, seething. God she's beautiful when she's angry. "One kiss Sami, that's all it will take, and I'll prove it to you." He tangled one hand in her hair to keep her still and pressed up against her. He lowered his lips to hers gently knowing that he had to be careful, too much force or aggression and he'd scare her which would only make her hate him more. Too little and she'd keep running from him and what was between them, hiding from what could be by chasing fools who didn't deserve her. He'd meant this to be solely for her, to show her that even though she was hurt and angry she didn't hate him. But how could he keep from being lost himself? He'd been tormented with dreams of her for years, and she still tasted every bit as sweet as he'd remembered. 

His fingers in her hair were firm, she wasn't moving and he was making that clear, but they weren't painful. The bark of the tree was hard against her back, but his lips on hers, they were so soft. She'd made herself forget over the years how gentle he could be, how tender his touch was the one time he'd made love to her, how warm and safe and protected she felt in his arms. 

He brought his other hand up to caress her cheek gently, and trailed it along her chin, tilting it up just slightly. His tongue ran over her lips softly, gently requesting entrance, not demanding it as so often happened with Brandon. Her lips parted on their own accord and as he kissed her she felt a heat building in her. His tongue caressed hers tenderly, and his hand massaged her scalp and caressed her face so tenderly. He didn't close his eyes, although she longed for him to do so, that way she wouldn't have to face the desperate longing in his eyes. 

Austin had never inspired this, had never kissed her like this, affection like this was reserved for Carrie. Franco's kisses had been desperate, although skilled, and more often than not she felt like he'd been trying to consume her instead of love her. And Brandon, his kisses were filled with passion, but there was never this tenderness, that she was experiencing now. _ Damn it all to hell, I still want the bastard. How can I? How after all he's done? I can't still want him. I can't. I won't... _

He felt her melt under him, and his heart leapt. For this one moment in time he could forget all that had passed between them, all the angry words, and all the hurt. His arms were filled with the sweet, innocent, vulnerable little girl that he'd fallen in love with. And he had loved her, loved her so much it drove him crazy that she wanted Austin instead of him. There were a million times when he should have stopped her, told her that he cared. But he never had, and he let himself be convinced that his feelings had crossed the thin line between love and hatred. But none of that mattered here and now, not in this magic moment. 

Finally he had to pull away, or risk going far further than she was willing to at this moment. And he would never ever force her, he'd sooner die than hurt her that way. He'd sooner die than hurt her again period. It'd taken him a long time to realize why he'd been so damn miserable for the last few years, and in the end it all boiled down to the fact that he'd hurt the woman standing before him, and that she hated him. Or at least she thought that she did. All the squabbles, all the bickering, all the loudly screamed insults, the battle for Will, they were just symptoms of the bigger issue. He missed his friend and he wanted her back, and if something more came of it. Well then he'd go to his grave a thankful man.

He watched her chest heave with the uneven breathing, and was glad to see that the kiss had affected her as deeply as it had him. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were cloudy with passion and desire. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her again, but he wouldn't. Not until she asked for it.

"Nice try Lucas, but I still hate you."

"Who said you didn't? I just said I could make you want me, not that I could make you forgive me. Although I do plan on doing my best to do that too."

"I do not want you!"

"You know, that'd be a whole lot more believable if you weren't panting and flushed." He traced a finger idly down her neck and let it rest over her pulse. "And your hearts racing too…seems like your minds saying one thing and your body is saying another."

"I do not want you."

"Relax Sami, I can assure you, I don't hold it against you. Besides, it's not like you can help the fact that we've always had chemistry."

"What are you talking about?"

"Simple biology Sami, I know that you're smart enough to follow it. The same chemicals that make you fight make you --" 

His words were cut to an abrupt end as her hand struck his cheek. "Lucas Roberts, I can not believe you!"

_She's blushing, I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever see that again. _

"Sami, you've known me for years, and you're not used to my dirty mind yet? The blush looks good on you though, really it does. I was beginning to wonder if anything could make you do that anymore."

"I'm not the same little girl you used to know Lucas. It'd take more that pretty words and corny jokes to turn my head."

"I know that Sami. The thing is, I miss the girl I used to know, and I have no one to blame but myself." He imagined kissing her again, but quickly dismissed that thought. _ That isn't what you're here for. _ "As much as I enjoyed that, it isn't what I brought you up here for." He took her hand and lead her along to a clearing. He could have let go of her hand after it became apparent that she was supposed to follow him, but he didn't. _ After all it wouldn't do for her to fall in those damned shoes she insists on wearing. _ He led her into the clearing that he'd scouted out earlier, hoping and praying that this would work out as he'd planned.

He walked into the center of the clearing, let go of her hand, took a step forward and turned to face her. He spread his arms leaving himself vulnerable and completely open to any attack that she decided to launch. "Alright Sami, let me have it."

"Excuse me?"

"Let me have it. Yell, bitch, scream, cry, throw things, hit me, what ever you have to do feel better about the things I've done to you. Whatever it takes to make it so you can forgive me."

"You're serious aren't you?"

"Yes Sami I am, I miss my friend and I'll do what ever it takes to have her back."

"Except give me custody of my SON!"

"I'll do anything that won't hurt our son. If I didn't think that you'd go out of your way to keep him from me, then I'd give you custody." 

"I have good reasons to want to keep him away from you!"

"Yes you do…Now why don't you tell me about them."

"You killed Franco." 

"Yes, I did. Keep going."

"You dropped Will!" He nodded sadly, but said nothing. "You drove with him when you were drunk and nearly killed him!" He nodded again, and winced slightly at the memory but he didn't say anything in his own defense. "You framed me for murder!" Once again he nodded, but didn't speak. This passive attitude of his was really starting to get on her nerves, it wasn't nearly as satisfying to argue with him if he wouldn't rise to the bait or defend himself. 

"You made me have to explain to Will that daddy wasn't coming home, that he couldn't see you, and try to find a way so his heart wouldn't break, because you didn't say goodbye!" He nodded. The silence finally got to her, and she went over and started pounding on his chest to punctuate her statements. "You married Nicole." He nodded. "You sided with your mother against me." He nodded. "You lied to me!" He nodded. 

"You told me you hated me." He nodded. "You left me." He nodded. "You told me that you'd never leave me, and you then you did. You made me trust you then you betrayed me!" She hit him again. "I trusted you…" She started crying, even though she didn't want to. "I trusted you, you said you'd always be there for me, and you left me." He still didn't speak, but put his arms around her and held her tight. "I hate you." She sobbed. "I hate you." Finally she had no more words, and she slumped against him spent and sobbing.

"Sh-sh…Yes, I'm a bastard. Sh…I know." His quiet acceptance of her accusations and her whispered insults had the desired effect and she soon quieted. They stood in silence for a few moments. "Feel any better now? Or do you want to yell at me some more." She pushed away from him and shook her head. "See why I brought you where no one would hear you screaming?" 

"Why did you let me do that?"

"Because you really needed to. You had to get all that out, or eventually it would have destroyed you."

"Please don't tell me you've picked up Austin's forgive and forget mantra."

"Not quite…but I've seen what hatred can do if you don't get rid of it. Look at my mother." 

"Don't you DARE compare me to that-"

"Bitter, manipulative, cold blooded bitch?"

"Exactly what I was looking for, but since when do you agree with me?"

"Since I found out that she tried to turn me into charcoal. It tends to put a damper on family relationships."

"She set the fire?"

"And didn't even check to see if I was out of the house." 

"Oh Lucas, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I had to see what a bitch my mother is sooner or later, and it took something this big to make me realize that I'd almost let her ruin my life." He brushed her cheek gently with his thumb. "She almost cost me you. She almost took you and Will away from me forever. And for that I'll never forgive her." 

"Well that's three out of four."

"What?"

"That's three of the four things that have kept me from being friends with you gone." At his raised eyebrow she continued. "Well, you're sober, you're single, and you're not blind to your mom's faults anymore. After what you've found out, I don't think you'll be up for forgiveness anytime soon, especially since she's the one who caused you to lose rights to Will in the first place. I sure as hell wouldn't be." 

"I've got a pretty good guess, but what's the fourth one?"

"The fourth one is that you've hurt me a lot…" She held up a hand to stop his protests. "And I know that you're sorry, and I know that I hurt you too. But it's still going to take time for me to be able to trust you again."

"I can understand that. Does this mean you're giving me another chance?"

"I'd like to try too. Cause just maybe, I miss my friend too."

***********************************************************

New chapters of this and other LUMI loving fics will follow soon. You can reach me at any time at: terisxenite@hotmail.com. Also if you're a Lumi fan, check out Second Chances. Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter Six

**Friendship Forgotten**

**Chapter Six**

**Teris Xenite****  
**

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. The actors certainly are not mine. The storyline and events they're in are mine, however if you are in anyway involved with DOOL and want to borrow...Feel free to at no charge. This story is unbeated at this time.

**

* * *

**They sat on a soft blanket under a tree over looking the lake, talking or sitting in almost comfortable silence. "I almost forgot, I promised you lunch."

"Don't worry about it, besides I'm going to have to drive anywhere we go for the next couple of hours."

"And what precisely makes you think that I'm going to allow you to drive the only car I've ever owned that you have yet to crash."

"Because I beat the tar out of you earlier, for all we know you might have a head injury."

"Mhh…maybe you should check?"

"Well you can't be too careful." She leaned in amazingly, tantalizingly close to him. "Close your eyes." She looked at his lips, and had to shake her head to refocus. That kiss earlier, he didn't mean that. He didn't, he was just trying to prove a point. She took a deep breath to steel herself, hoping that he wouldn't notice, before saying: "Open them." He looked at her and as she expected his pupils contracted normally. "Looks like-" Her words were cut off by his lips pressing gently aganist hers once more.

While she was checking his pupils he was given the opportunity to gaze at her completely unabashedly, an opportunity he continued to take advantage of long beyond the time necessary for her to come to a conclusion that he was indeed perfectly fine. He hadn't intended to do it. He hadn't meant to kiss her, he'd planned to wait until she made a move towards it herself first. But her lips were so tantalizingly close, and she smelled so very sweet, and the lack of venom in her eyes was such a welcome sight.

He kept the kiss slow and gentle and gave her plenty of chances to pull away. He was pleasantly suprised when she didn't resist him. As the kiss inched achingly slowly towards passion on its own accord he memorized every moment, because he knew that it might be his last. She was panting when she pulled away, and he suddenly felt cold without her in his arms. It took all of his strength not to pull her back to him.

"What are you proving this time?"

"What?" He asked suddenly confused. He wasn't proving anything, that should be obvious shouldn't it?

"What are you proving this time? Last time it was you could still make me want you, even when I hated you, so what is it this time?" Her voice was a cross between accusation, and regret. It sounded a lot like she wanted his affection for her to be real, but didn't trust him enough to believe that was the reason he'd kissed her.

"Sami, the only thing that proved was that I'm weak. I had intended to let you make the next move towards…well…more. But you were just so beautiful, I couldn't resist."

"Got some ocean front property in Arizona to sell me with that line Lucas?"

He reach over and caressed her cheek gently. "Sami, I'd say that you probably know me better than anyone on the face of this planet. You could always tell when I was lying. So it would be safe to say that you probably still can. Do I look like I'm lying now?" He looked deeply into her eyes and took his hand and put it over his rapidly beating heart. "Does this feel like a lie to you? Does it feel like I'm just trying to prove something Sami?"  
She looked deeply into his eyes, and saw none of the tale tell signs of deception that she'd become so familiar with over the years. One of two things was happening, he had either gotten a hell of a lot better at lying since she'd known him, and comas didn't tend to lend much opportunity for such things, or he was telling her the truth as closely as he knew it. Which was it? She wasn't sure, but she was leaning towards the latter of the two.

They were slowly leaning into towards each other again, when they were interrupted by the sharp thrilling of Lucas' cell phone. They jumped back, and he answered the phone. "Hello…Yes, yes I'm his father. Yes, I know how to get in touch with his mother, she's here with me. We'll be right there." He hung up the phone and turned to her, trying to remain calm in the face of her panic. "That was Will's school, they want us both there as soon as possible."

"What's wrong? Is he hurt? Has he been kidnapped? What happened?"

"It seems that he's decided it's time to follow in our footsteps. He's in trouble, and in the principals office until we get there."

* * *

New chapters of this and other LUMI loving fics will follow soon. You can reach me at any time at: or you can leave a review and rock my world. Also if you're a Lumi fan, check out Second Chances. Thanks for reading! 


	7. Chapter Seven

**Friendship Forgotten******

**Chapter Seven****  
****Teris Xenite****  
**

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. The actors certainly are not mine. The storyline and events they're in are mine, however if you are in anyway involved with DOOL and want to borrow...Feel free to at no charge. This story is unbeated at this time.

**  
**  
"Sami relax, I'm sure that if he was hurt they would have told us over the phone. It's probably some minor thing, like oh setting the clocks forward an hour to get out of school early."

"Have you been telling him stories about when we were young and stupid again?"

"Who me?" He said trying to pull off wide eyed innocence but ruining it with a smirk.

"Yes you." She pinned him with her patented glare and he crumbled. 

"Ok ok, so I told him one or two. He was asking about when we used to be friends."

"Which ones did you tell him?"

"I told him about going to the Spring Fling, and Halloween."

"Well with some minor editing those shouldn't be too bad."

"Well it wasn't like I was going to tell him any of the bad stuff. He's seen too much of that as is."

"He's lucky you have a long memory, things have been bad for a pretty good while."

"But when they were good they were very good."

"But when they were bad they were horrid. Let me guess, Will made you read that ten thousand times too. "

"Yeah…I never thought I could get so tired of a book in my life. I was seeing the words in my sleep." Sami mummered something that sounded like a cross between agreement and sympathy. The whole while they'd been talking Lucas had been subtly breaking-or as he preferred to think of it bending, speeding laws. So it was their arrival at the school that precluded further conversation.

"Well now that we're here, are you ready to face the Dragon?"

"The Dragon?"

"Did I forget to mention that both Will's teacher and principal are my former teachers."

Lucas groaned. "May god help us…we're gonna need it."

"Mr. Roberts, Miss Brady I'm so glad you could join us today." Lucas shook her hand and nodded, and Sami looked offended at the implication that they wouldn't come when their son needed them. The principal motioned them to sit before continuing, and Lucas winced as he saw Sami's hands. She was clenching the arms of the chair so tightly that they were a ghostly white.

"Of course we came Mrs. Alexander. Will needed us. Now what happened? Is he alright?"

"Yes, he's sporting a swollen lip and facing at least a three day suspension, but other than that he's fine."

"What happened?"

"Well Mr. Roberts, it seems that William got into a fight with another student. For that he faces an automatic three day suspension. There isn't anything I can do to avoid that. However, since this is his first major offense, I'd like to get to the bottom of what's going on and see if we can limit the repercussions to that. The only problem is, he won't tell us what happened, and Timmy, the other boy, has claimed that your son attacked him. Now I don't need to tell either of you that William is an excellent student, he's never been in trouble before, aside from minor childhood pranks. I'd be inclined to take his word over the other boys based on past history…"

"But you can't get him to say anything one way or another."

"Exactly."

"Could we see him?"

"Of course Miss Brady. I'll send him in, you all can talk in my office."

They sat waiting for Will in silence. The sound of reluctant stomping could be heard coming down the hall towards them, then the door opened to reveal a grungy, slightly bruised and scraped version of their son. Sami immediately wanted to hug him to her and never let go, she wanted to protect him from every thing as she had when he was small, but that wouldn't solve anything, and she wasn't sure that he would welcome her attentions.

The principal left them alone, and the silence lingered painfully and she decided that the worst he could do would be to push her away. She walked over to where he stood and knelt down to his eye level. "Are you ok sweetie? Where does it hurt?" She was met by stoney silence.

"Will, why don't you tell us what happened?" And Lucas was stunned to receive the same silent treatment as Sami. What are we gonna do if neither of us can get through to him?

"Will, no matter what it is you can tell us, and we'll still love you. No matter what we're here for you, and we'll take care of you."

"She's right buddy, but you have to let us know what's going on before we can help you fix it."

"Tim called me a bad name, and the he started talking about you and mom. I got mad, so I punched him, then he punched me back."

"What did he call you sweetie?" Sami's voice would have appeared even to anyone else, but Lucas could detect a bit of pain and sorrow in it.

"He called me a bastard, and then he called you a whore, and you" He looked at Lucas. "and he called you a worthless drunk. And he said that his mom said that I was a mistake, and that mom should have gotten rid of me when she had the chance."

Will didn't miss the look that passed between his parents. Thankfully he couldn't quite interpret it as what it truly was, murderous rage for the one who had hurt their beloved child so deeply. They knew enough to realize that the boy was probably just repeating what he'd heard his parents say, but both made mental notes to research this later. Lucas knelt down with Sami, as they shared a family hug. She felt the warmth of Will's tears on her shoulder, and her heart broke. What could she do to make this better? What could she do to make the pain go away?

She pulled away slightly, and brushed the tears from his face. "Will, look at me sweetie?" Reluctantly he did so, and the pain that she felt grew a little worse as she saw the haunted look in his eyes. "Will, you were not a mistake. Never. Not for one minute were you a mistake. Your daddy and I love you, and wouldn't trade you for anything in the world."

"Not even for Uncle Austin or Nicole."

"No baby not even for Uncle Austin,"

"And not for Nicole either." Lucas fought the lump in his throat, and placed a hand on Will's shoulder. How could his son not know that he loved him more than anything in the world? "You remember that herd of elephants we saw in Africa?"

Will looked confused. "Well yeah dad. It'd be kinda hard not to, I mean they were huge."

"Well you take every single elephant in Africa, in the whole world, and you multiply that by about a billion times, and then you might…might be somewhere close to how much your mommy and I love you."

"Really?"

"Yes really." Will smiled. "But you still can't have a pet elephant."

"Awww dad!"

"No!" Lucas shot Sami a look as he saw her trying not to laugh. Finally she got her self pulled together. 

"I think Daddy's right on this one sweetie. Where would he live if you got one?"

Will thought for a minute, then exclaimed proudly: "He could live in Dad's bathtub!"

The image of Lucas sharing his bathtub with an elephant proved too humorous for Sami to resist, and coupled with the relief that came with the knowledge that her son was safe and relatively unharmed, she lost the battle with the laughter she'd been fighting back to spare Will's feelings.  
"I'm sorry honey…that's a good idea…but can't you just imagine Mr. Krample's face if he saw an elephant in daddy's apartment?"

Will grinned and it was apparent that he could easily imagine the florid, easily annoyed landlord upon sight of an elephant. "If I can get him to say it's ok then can I have one?"

"Tell you what buddy, you convince Krample the crabby to let you have a pet, and we'll get you one. But I don't think he's gonna go for an elephant, there just too big."

"Well if I can convince him can I have one?"

Lucas shot a questioning look over Will's head at Sami, and she sent him a 'what the hell' look back. After all it wasn't like Will was going to be able to convince him, let Crabby be the bad guy instead of one of us. Both were pleasantly suprised to find that they still communicated quite well without words. "Alright Will, if you can convince Mr. Krample to let you have an elephant in our apartment, then you can have one."

If they hadn't been too busy looking at each other, then they would have been alarmed at the look on Will's face. Sami would have said it was Lucas' 'I'm too sexy for my shirt, you know you want me smirk', and Lucas would have claimed that it was Sami's 'scheming, manipulating, troubles brewing, get down on your knees and worship me like the goddess that I am smirk'. But from which ever parent the expression hailed, the fact remained William Roberts had a smirk on his face. Trouble would soon follow.

New chapters of this and other LUMI loving fics will follow soon. You can reach me at any time at: or you can leave a review and rock my world. Also if you're a Lumi fan, check out Second Chances. Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Friendship Forgotten******

**Chapter Eight****  
**

**Teris Xenite****  
**

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. The actors certainly are not mine. The storyline and events they're in are mine, however if you are in anyway involved with DOOL and want to borrow...Feel free to at no charge. This story is unbeated at this time.

**  
**  
Lucas and Sami stared at each other for a suspended moment in time, neither could tell you when it began, or how long it lasted. It was only broken when he looked away shaking his head as if to clear it, then looked down at Will. "What would you say about us finding your principal, and finishing up with her, then you can go out to lunch with me and mommy?"

"Cool!"

Sami smiled at his excitement. How could she have not realized how happy it made Will when she and Lucas got along? She took Will by the hand and said: "Well lets go find her then little man."  
Lucas remained in the office, and not to long after Sami and Will had left the principal returned. "Well Miss Brady told me in the hall that you two got Will to tell you what happened."

"Yes, we did. Should I wait for her to get back before we continue?"

"No. She said that her temper had gotten her into enough trouble over the years, and that she didn't want it to prove a disadvantage to Will in this situation. She seemed to think you'd handle explaining the situation better."

Only years of experience when it came to hiding his true feelings in the boardroom kept his mouth from dropping open in shock. Sami had said he was better at something than she was? When was the last time that happened? In this particular case she was probably right, but he never would have expected her to acknowledge that even if she did realize it. He realized that he probably should explain what they'd learned from Will. "Well then, to make a long story short, the other boy insulted me and his mother, called him a bastard, and told him that his mother should have had an abortion when she had the chance."

"Oh my…"

"Not quite my reaction."

"Well I guess that answers the question of additional punishment. I'll have Will's teacher get his assignments together so that he won't fall behind, if you or Miss Brady would like to pick them up sometime later this afternoon?"

"Of course." Lucas headed for the door until a hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"Mr. Roberts, I want to tell you I'm sorry about this. Will's a good boy, you and Miss Brady have done an excellent job with him."

The comment softened Lucas, as praise for a child tends to do, and he graced the woman with one of his rare truly genuine smiles. "Thank you. I'll pass the complement on to his mother."

Mrs. Alexander smiled back, "You be sure to do that young man. It was good to see you and Miss Brady today. She always was one of my favorite students, it's good to see her happy."

"Of all the people I know, I think she's the one who was most due for it. She's been through a lot."

"Indeed she has. She's grown up quite a bit, but you know somehow this is exactly what I was expecting."

"Really?"

"Mhh…she always was utterly fearless, completely determined. You two are a good match. You hold on to her, young man. Women like her are few and far between." She winked at him.

"Don' t I know it. Have a nice day Mrs. Alexander, I hope to see you again, under better circumstances." As he walked into the hall he heard Sami's voice and he paused. Old habits did die hard and eavesdropping was one of his oldest ones. Besides it couldn't hurt anything to listen for just a moment could it?

Sami sat holding Will in a way that had been rare as of late. His head lay on her shoulder and his arms wrapped around her holding her tight, as she rubbed gentle circles on his back. "—Don't listen to Tim anymore, little man. Not ever again, you were not a mistake, he was wrong. You were not a mistake, not ever, and you're not the reason that daddy and I fight?"

"But Gran was telling me stories the other day, and she told me that you and daddy used to be friends before I was born, and now you fight all the time? So if it's not my fault, then whose is it?"

"Sometimes sweetie, grown ups do stupid things."

"But why mom?"

"Well remember when Jess knocked you down, and you were mad at him?"

"Yeah."

"And you remember how he apologized the next day, and everything went back to being the way things were before? Then you two were friends again?"

"Yeah."

"Well sometimes when people don't apologize, they keep hurting each other. Then after a while they've hurt each other so much that they can't go back to the way things were, no matter how much they want to, because they can't trust each other any more."

"Is that what happened to you and Daddy?"

"Yes sweetie, that's what happened to me and daddy."

"But couldn't you apologize? I'm sure daddy would forgive you."

"It's not always that easy baby, but we're trying."

Lucas shook his head sadly in his hiding place. If you only knew Sami. It could be that easy, if you could only let it be. I'd give you the happily ever after that you've always wanted, in a heart beat, but I can't do it alone. You've got to meet me half way.

"I wonder what's taking your Daddy so long?"

"You know if I didn't know better, I'd swear that you missed me sweetheart." Lucas quipped walking around the corner doing his best to make sure that it looked like he was just arriving. He walked over to where they sat and placed a hand on Will's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Now it's time for that lunch I promised you two. How does Pizza Place sound?"

He smiled as Will showed some excitement for the first time since they'd gotten there. Pizza place was a fine eating establishment, so long as you were under twelve and didn't mind loud music, roving cartoon characters, and bad pizza. But then, they did have video games. He'd planned a little something more elegant, or at least nostalgic for his afternoon with Sami, but with the sudden inclusion of their son plans changed. Oh well, at the very least he got to give his son a memory of doing something with both parents. An all to rare occurrence.

Of course that he loved to watch Sami play with Will wasn't really an added bonus. Never mind that he loved to see her smile, and that her laugh sounded like some sweet symphony filtering through his soul. No both those things were strictly immaterial. No they didn't matter at all. He was just in it for the pizza. And denial is just a river in Egypt.

New chapters of this and other LUMI loving fics will follow soon. You can reach me at any time at: or you can leave a review and rock my world. Also if you're a Lumi fan, check out Second Chances. Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter Nine

**Forgotten Friendship  
**

**Chapter Nine **

Teris Xenite

Disclaimers: There are many things which I do not own. The characters portrayed in this story are some of them.

**

* * *

The two sat in happy exhaustion watching their son run hither dither and yon with the excitement that can only be achieved in youth. They had both enjoyed playing with Will, but were glad to catch a breather when he spotted a friend from school. The companionable silence was a bit eerie for them both, as it had been a very long time since they had shared anything of the kind.**

**She looked over at him through slanted eyes, so that he wouldn't notice, and for the first time catalogued all the changes that had taken place to bring the boy that she'd met to the man that was before him. His face was sharper now, and there were the scars of the demons he'd faced. If you knew where to look that is.  
**

**Gone was the charming womanizer who fell into bed with any pretty thing placed before him. Missing in action was the cocky, arrogant youth who'd talked or bluffed his way out of every single situation they'd ever been in, and come out smelling like a rose every single time. Shattered was the believer of the miracles of power and wealth.  
**

**No the man sitting before her now, he'd been burned by love and was now shy. As far as she knew, he hadn't so much as dated since Nicole. Instead of arrogance there was confidence, but also a small bit of insecurity. He'd finally acknowledged that there were some things so great that he couldn't ever hope to control them, and that he must have faith. And then there was the acceptance that while money did make the material trappings of life a lot easier to acquire, it didn't bring happiness, or love, or any of the things that he so zealously sought.  
**

**A very small part of her regretted the change in him, as it meant that she no longer knew exactly how to deal with him. But the greater part admired the way he'd come through his struggles. Will's laugh floated to her ears over the ping of the pinball machines and the gleeful cries of the children around them. His laugh, so much like his fathers, just another tiny part of him that stemmed from the man that she'd both admired and abhorred with equal intensity.  
**

**She looked to the center of her universe, her happy little boy and her heart seized with gratitude that god had allowed her to have this miracle, even though she had failed and faltered so many times. She'd overheard a woman at the next table talking to a friend about the possibility of another child, one that she didn't want. The woman was considering an abortion, and it brought back the painful memory of one of the biggest near misses of her life.  
**

**She had never intended to go through with it; she had only wanted to make Austin feel guilty and protective over his unborn child. She'd meant to stop them before they could really take her baby. But the drugs they'd used were too strong, she couldn't tell them no. She couldn't stop them, even as her heart and soul screamed out against what they were planning to do. **

**Only the fact that she was too far along in her pregnancy had saved Will. Only the fact that she hadn't thought of that stupid plan a week or two earlier, and the fact that he had been Lucas' child not Austin's had saved him. Only that had spared her the grief of losing a child through her own stupidity.  
**

**She stood quietly, and walked over to the women. She paused before them, and waited for them to notice her before speaking. And her words shocked Lucas, who easily eavesdropped from where he sat. "Hello…I don't mean to interrupt, or intrude. But—I heard what you were talking about a minute ago. It's not my place to tell you what to do, I know that. But I've been where you are, made the choice you're thinking about, and it was almost the biggest mistake of my life. I was lucky." She turned and pointed Will out.  
**

**"You see that little boy over there, he's my miracle, the center of my world, and the best thing that has ever happened to me. And he almost wasn't because of a rash decision I made. I not telling you not to, but be very, very sure that it's what you really want. Because you may not be as lucky as I was."  
**

**Sami slowly turned and walked back towards her table without another word to either of the women. She sank down on the chair she'd recently vacated, and Lucas worried at the haunted look in her eyes. He'd never seen her like this, and he'd seen her through a lot of crises. He reached a hand across the table and covered her hand with his. He squeezed it reassuringly, and was greatly relived when she looked up at him. His heart ached when he saw her tears and he pulled her around the table and onto his lap.  
**

**He was surprised but grateful that she didn't protest his actions, but nothing could have prepared him for the way that she clung to him. The warmth of her tears soaked through his shirt, and the hot drops of sorrow burned him worse than the ninety-proof he used to use to drown his sorrows. "Sh—sh, it's all right Sami, it's ok. What's wrong?"  
**

**"How could I have done that Lucas? How could I have taken that kind of risk?"  
**

**"Sami, it's alright. Will is here with us, he's happy and he's safe. It's all right. You were young. You were confused, and you were scared. You didn't make the best decision but it worked out alright, so stop being so hard on yourself."  
**

**"But I almost-"  
**

**"And almost on counts in wishes and horseshoes."  
**

**"I was so stupid, I was so very lucky."  
**

**"Luck? In the life of Sami Brady? Surely you jest. Nothing good that has ever happened to you has been through luck alone, Sami. You've succeeded where no one else could have hoped to because you're brave and strong, and brilliant. You never stop fighting for what you want…I admire that about you, just so long as what you want doesn't involve my smoldering carcass. "  
**

**"That one time I was lucky Lucas, because if he'd been Austin's like I wanted him to be…He wouldn't be here."  
**

**"Honey, he got there in time to stop it. It's alright, we have a beautiful not so little anymore boy."  
**

**"But Lucas, he didn't get there in time, and I was too far under to stop them. The only thing that stopped them was because I was too far along, and I didn't even figure it out."  
**

**"I seem to remember a lot of us devolving a problem counting to nine in that time period. I should have figured it out, or Austin should have. But neither of us did. It's not all your fault you know."  
**

**"You know you're the first person in years to tell me that."  
**

**"Well sweetheart when you're not screeching and trying to claw my eyes out, you're one of my favorite people. The least I can do is keep you from slipping into martyrdom. Now, if you don't stop with the self blame over things long dead and buried I'm gonna have to do something desperate."  
**

**"Like what?"  
**

**"Like this!" He swiftly grabbed her and carried her over his shoulder, tickling wherever he could reach. He ignored her halfhearted struggles, and kept tickling her despite her protests until they reached the padded areas of the moon jump before he dropped to his knees and gently placed her on the ground. He leaned over her still tickling her until she was breathless with laughter. "Do you give up?"  
**

**"Yes, you've got me general, I surrender."  
**

**He smiled and sprawled out beside her, simply enjoying the comforting feeling of friendship between them after years of distrust. He brushed a lock of her hair away from her face, and she smiled at him.  
**

**"Lucas?"  
**

**"Hm-"  
**

**"How did we ever let things get so mixed up?"  
**

**"We forgot what was really important, and let people turn us against each other."  
**

**"But how do we know it won't happen again? I don't want to lose this."  
**

**The levity left his face and in its place came a mask of resolute certainty. "It won't happen again, because we're not going to let it. Together we can do anything Sami, somewhere along the line we forgot that."  
**

**"So what do we do now?"  
**

**"I believe we have that little issue of Victor owning your soul, and my bitchy ex-wife giving you trouble to handle."  
**

**"You've got a plan I take it?"  
**

**"Yes I do. It won't help mom much, but she's not of much concern to me at the moment."  
**

**"Remind me to send you to Africa more often, it does wonders for what ails you."  
**

**"The next time I go to Africa, or anywhere else you're going with me. But I do need to thank Dad for something next time I talk to him." She quirked an eyebrow in a way that meant, 'Well come and tell me what you're talking about, already'. **

**"I need to thank him for reminding me that I needed to do what I thought was right, not what everyone around me has been telling me needed to be done. I wanted to be mad at you for a lot of things for a long time Sami, but deep down I never could hold on to it. Everything else in me wanted to forgive you and make things right too badly, so I surrounded myself with people who never let anything go. So that I'd have someone to remind me why we were fighting constantly. I'm so glad that I let myself forget. I missed you, I missed this." **

**  
She placed her hand over his where it rested comfortably on her side. "I missed this too."  
**

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AN: Once again I hope you all enjoyed reading. If so please let me know, if not also feel free to let me know. To those of you who've already shared your thoughts about the story, many thanks. Thanks for reading. 


	10. Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. The actors certainly are not mine. The storyline and events they're in are mine, however if you are in anyway involved with DOOL and want to borrow...Feel free to at no charge. This story is unbetaed at this time.

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**Forgotten Friendship**

**Chapter 10**

**Teris Xenite  
**

They had stayed at Pizza Palace until Will was so tired that he could barely hold his head up. It had been so long since he'd seen his parents even attempt civility that he didn't want to miss a moment of it. They ignored his protests that he wasn't tired when he started falling asleep in his pizza.

Sami knew why he was fighting so hard; he thought that this was a one shot deal. God what kind of mother was she, that her own son would be scared to go to sleep because he thought that when he woke he would be forced to choose between the two people he loved most?

"It's alright little man, go to sleep. Daddy and I will be right here when you wake up."

"Both of you?"

"Yes buddy, both of us."

With that reassurance he fell asleep in Lucas' arms, too tired to even protest that he wasn't a baby any more and was entirely too big to be carried. Lucas and Sami walked in silence, until they reached the car and Lucas buckled him in. Sami reached out, and ran a hand over his hair and wondered just for a moment where the time had gone. When did he get so big?

Lucas watched Sami as she watched their little boy, and tender feelings that he'd always tried to hide bubbled up in to his throat. He reached out and gently stroked her hair, and ran the back of his fingers along her cheek. She looked at him in stunned surprise, but didn't pull away. "He's beautiful, just like his mother." He whispered. "Thank you Sami, thank you for sharing him with me."

"Thank you for loving him."

"How could I not, every inch of him is you."

"I beg to differ…that mouth, the way he smiles, the way he crinkles his nose. He's a slightly shorter version of you."

"I meant where it counts, he may look like me, but in here-" He tapped his chest over his heart. "In here, he's all you Sami. He's loyal, and he's strong, and he's so many of the things that I wanted him to be because of you."

Her eyes filled up with tears and she shook her head and looked away from him. "Let's get him home and in bed. He's going to have a busy day tomorrow."

"What do you mean? He hasn't got school."

"No but he is going to have a very full day with the two of us."

"Us?"

"Yes us. Look at how happy he is-" She gestured towards Will with a sweep of her hand.

"You were right Lucas, he needs this. He needs us, together. Loving him apart just isn't enough. We're hurting him, and nothing on earth is worth that."

"I couldn't agree more." He put an arm around her shoulder, and gave her a small squeeze before opening her door. "Your chariot awaits my lady, we've got a lot of things to talk about."

Minutes spent in comfortable silence later they arrived at their apartment building, and Lucas gently lifted Will into his arms and they made their way to her apartment and his bed. Sami gently unlaced his shoes as they lay him back on the bed, and taking in his clothing carefully decided that a t-shirt and lose pants would do for night clothes just this once. Lucas lifted him out of the way, and Sami pulled the covers over him. Then they each leaned down and touched his hair, and kissed his forehead. Without thinking, the echoed each other, and said almost in unison.

"Good night little man."

"Good night buddy." They looked at each other and smiled slightly, then moved silently out of his room to let him sleep. As the door slid shut Will's eyes shot open, and a smirk painted his face. It was beginning to look like his plan was working perfectly. Picking that fight was the best thing that he'd ever done.

In the living room the two sat companionably on Sami's couch. "I think it's time to start figuring out how to get Victor and Tony off of your back. What do they have on you?"

"Well Victor's got the tape, and Tony's got the fact that I'm his friend or was, and as such have lost any credibility with my family so he can tell them any damn thing he wants and they'll believe it."

"You sure you didn't do anything like…oh change the paternity results on Lexie's baby?"

"Not the way you're thinking. Lexie switched them to say that Brandon was the father, trying to set me up. I switched them back to saying that Abe was, and he is. I had it double checked. Then I let Doctor Bader know that there was a mix up. She won't come forward unless it becomes an issue for obvious reasons…"

"Such as not wanting the hospital to be sued. But on that one you're covered. You corrected a clerical error. Nothing more, and didn't tell the family as it would only cause unneeded upset. I'm impressed."

"Come on even wouldn't get into that mess again. Once was enough." At his raised eyebrows she said, "You know damn well I didn't change Will's paternity test Lucas, no matter what everyone seems to think. I just was too chicken to tell you the truth when I found it out."

"Would you have ever told me?" He looked at her seriously, wanting to know that answer.

She considered carefully, her fingers tracing the patterns on her sofa slowly. "I think I would have eventually yes."

"But you were willing to take him to Hawaii with Austin, where I'd almost never see him." There wasn't accusation in his voice, just curiosity.

"You wouldn't have let that happen. You'd have bought a damn tiki hut right next to mine, and proved once again what a pain you can be in my ass." There was a quiet certainty that filled her voice, and he knew then that deep down she'd never really thought that Will would grow up without knowing his father.

"Damn right I wouldn't have, but the intention was still there." This time the resentment crept in against his will.

"That was more to get him away from your mother than from you." No artifice, only a long buried truth.

"Do you hate her that much?" Soft surprise, that she'd hate his mother enough to hurt him so.

"Yes Lucas, after what she's done I do hate her that much." She continued on catching the look of disbelief that he gave her. "Remind me, who was it that talked you into framing me for Franco's murder?"

"Mom."

"And who was it that sent you out of town when she knew I was going to be executed so you couldn't interfere?"

"Mom."

"And who came up with the idea to drive me insane by drugging me and tormenting me with every mothers worst nightmare?"

"Mom."

"And who got you married to Nicole, and broke your heart and Eric's?"

"Mom."

"And who convinced you that I was a lying bitch who intended to keep your son from you."

"Mom."

She noticed that with each answer his face had grown colder, and the phrase Mom became more of a curse than a compliment. "Now-" She said out of breath from her rant. "Do I really have to explain why I hate your mother?"

"No, I guess not. I guess I just needed to know if you really hated me that much." There was hurt now in his voice, instead of anger.

"No I didn't-" She said softly. "But there were a whole lot of times that I had to pick you being pissed off at me or Will being safe. Kate's gotten so twisted up in winning against me that she doesn't even think about him or his best interests anymore. He's just a tool to her."

"Like you haven't gotten caught up in winning? Isn't that why you wouldn't let him see me in the hospital?"

"No, I wouldn't let him see you because I thought it would scare him. Plus it didn't help that mommy dearest kept telling him that he could wake you up if he just tried hard enough. If he wanted it badly enough you'd wake up. If he loved you enough you'd come back to him. Do you have any idea what that would have done to him if you hadn't woken up?"

"She didn't?"

"She did…And I'm the one who had to hold that night while he cried and asked me: Mommy, why didn't it work? Grandma said it would, don't I love Daddy enough? Then the next day they drug him back in there with you, because Kate didn't care that she was breaking his heart, and Austin was too stupid to see it."

"But that time it worked…"

"Be thankful, if he had come to me crying like that again I might well have smothered you."

"If that was the reason then I wouldn't have held it against you. I don't want to hurt him Sami, I never wanted to hurt him. And I don't want to hurt you anymore either." He stroked her cheek gently, and looked very seriously into her eyes. "Hurting you is the last thing that I want to do Sami."

"And what exactly do you want to do?"

"This-" He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, and was surprised when she didn't start. Instead she wrapped her arms around him. He kept the kiss light, not overly passionate, and pulled away much sooner than he wanted to. "You get stars in your eyes when I kiss you." He kissed her cheek and held her too him. "I've always loved that about you Sami."

"Sure you have General-don't think I've forgotten that sleeping with me was like a punishment crack. You are in for some serious groveling and sucking up before I let go of that one."

Lucas' happy and playful demeanor disappeared in that instant. He leaned back on the couch, still turned towards her, and took her hand. "I didn't mean that Sami, that night." He paused as memories threatened to overtake him. "That night was magical Sami. It was the first time I understood the difference between sex and love. It wasn't a punishment baby, it was perfect."

He brushed a lock of hair back from her face and his fingers lingered on her face for just a moment. "You were so sweet that night, and you trusted me so much. I knew that night I wanted you, needed you, loved you, but I was an idiot and I let you go. The only thing about that night I regret is that I didn't chase you down and hound you until you admitted you loved me."

"Lucas-" She whispered, but he shushed her with a finger over her lips.

"Let me finish, Sami. I need for you to hear this." He cupped her cheek gently. "Every woman I've been with since that night has been a consolation prize Sami. Every time I'd compare them to you, and every time they'd fall short. No one compares to you, they never have and they never will."

Tears streamed down her face, and he brushed them away with his thumb. She reached up and stroked his face. "Oh Lucas, we've wasted so much time. Do you really think we can go back to the way we were that night?"

"I think that we at least owe it to ourselves to try." She leaned in to and shyly pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss. Just as it was deepening the phone rang. "Don't get that…" He groaned in frustration.

"Mhh-I have too. Might be important." She panted an pulled away reluctantly. He gave her a quick kiss as she pulled away, and watched delighted as she answered the phone with a flushed face and kiss bruised lips. He thought she'd never looked more beautiful. His hope for a quick return to previous activities was shattered when he saw her eyes narrow, and watched her hiss the name of his ex like a curse. That conversation he'd been planning with Victor could come none too soon.

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AN: Alright that's it for this chapter, if you liked it please feel free to let me know. If you didn't also let me know. Thanks for reading, look for the next chapter much sooner than the previous ones. 


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